Horror Neurobiology (WATCHING SCARY STUFF) with Austin Lim

Thrills. Chills. Hiding behind your hands. It’s officially SPOOKTOBER month with a huge, fascinating (and I promise, mellow) episode on why humans watch horror, and what’s happening in your brain. Not only do we have the author of “Horror on the Brain: the Neuroscience Behind Science Fiction,” neuroscientist Dr. Austin Lim, but this also features CUTS from other episodes to FLESH it all out. Enjoy the political sociology of zombies vs. vampires, feminist body horror, horror as anti-war art, liminal spaces, the best blood in the business, goosebumps and Goosebumps, evolutionary mismatches, why clowns unsettle you, and if horror is having its moment. (Note: it is.) Also, we had to cap this at 2+ hours so if we don’t cover *your* favorite movie or series and you yell at me about it, I will roll my eyes so hard that I will die and then I will haunt you by hiding your car keys. Visit Dr. Lim’s website and follow him on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Buy his book, Horror on the Brain: The Neuroscience Behind Science Fiction A donation went to Homes For Animal Heroes and Homeboy Industries Make your donations go further – up to 100% matching – by using GivingMultiplier, the amazing portal co-founded by Harvard professor and Trolleyologist, Dr. Joshua Greene More episode sources and links Other episodes you may enjoy: Spooktober: Topics to Startle and Love, Serpopsychology (WHAT’S CREEPY?), Fearology (FEAR), Teratology (MONSTERS), Vampirology (VAMPIRES), Mnemonology (MEMORY), Obsessive-Compulsive Neurobiology (OCD), The OCD Experience with a Neurobiologist, Trolleyology (MORAL DILEMMAS + THE TROLLEY PROBLEM), Desairology (MORTUARY MAKE-UP), Taphology (GRAVESITES), Metropolitan Tombology (PARIS CATACOMBS), Disgustology (REPULSION TO GROSS STUFF), Osteology (SKELETONS/BODY FARMS) 400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes Sponsors of Ologies Transcripts and bleeped episodes Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee Managing Director: Susan Hale Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth Transcripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. Dwyer Theme song by Nick Thorburn Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.